"Liam!" Vanessa suddenly stepped forward and pulled his hand away, her tone deliberately "rational." "Why are you wasting your time talking to her? She's just mad at you! Have you forgotten how much she relied on you before? She needed you to stay with her when she had a cold, to give her money when she ran out, and even to call you to change a lightbulb. Without you, she can't even make a living. Now she's just pretending to be tough. When her money is gone and no one pays for her hotel room, she'll naturally come back to you for help."
She leaned close to Liam's ear, lowering her voice a little, but deliberately letting Clara hear: "Think about it, if she was really independent, why would she be with you for five years? Don't be fooled by her appearance, she just thinks you are soft-hearted. Let's go back first and wait for her to come to you herself. Then you will have the final say."
Vanessa's words were like a reassurance, a precise piercing of Liam's ego. He recalled Clara's submissiveness over the past five years—how she would fidget when he came home late, how she would treasure the cheap bracelet he gave her, how she would make porridge and stay up all night when he was sick. Yes, how could a woman who "couldn't live without him" truly leave? Her current determination was just a disguise for her anger.
He let go of her hand, his tone becoming arrogant again: "Clara, I'm giving you a way out, don't be ungrateful. When you figure it out, come home. I can pretend nothing happened."
Clara looked at the arrogance in his eyes and found it ridiculous. She said nothing more, just brushed her wrinkled sleeves lightly, turned and walked out of the box, her back straight, without a trace of nostalgia.
Over the next three days, Liam occasionally picked up his phone, wanting to call Clara, but Vanessa stopped him each time. "What's the rush?" Vanessa said nonchalantly while trying on her newly ordered dress. "She's definitely waiting for you to give in first. If you take the initiative, she'll be even more aggressive. Besides, we're going to the Bennett family banquet soon. If she sees you and me at such a high-end event together, she'll only be more envious and come back faster."